Introducing Olympus & Olympus I/O - A new perspective on modern music playback

For those who just started reading up on Olympus, Olympus I/O, and XDMI, please note that all information in this thread has been summarized in a single PDF document that can be downloaded from the Taiko Website.

https://taikoaudio.com/taiko-2020/taiko-audio-downloads

The document is frequently updated.

Scroll down to the 'XDMI, Olympus Music Server, Olympus I/O' section and click 'XDMI, Olympus, Olympus I/O Product Introduction & FAQ' to download the latest version.

Good morning WBF!​

We are introducing the culmination of close to 4 years of research and development. As a bona fide IT/tech nerd with a passion for music, I have always been intrigued by the potential of leveraging the most modern of technologies in order to create a better music playback experience. This, amongst others, led to the creation of our popular, perhaps even revolutionary, Extreme music server 5 years ago, which we have been steadily improving and updating with new technologies throughout its life cycle. Today I feel we can safely claim it's holding its ground against the onslaught of new server releases from other companies, and we are committed to keep improving it for years to come.

We are introducing a new server model called the Olympus. Hierarchically, it positions itself above the Extreme. It does provide quite a different music experience than the Extreme, or any other server I've heard, for that matter. Conventional audiophile descriptions such as sound staging, dynamics, color palette, etc, fall short to describe this difference. It does not sound digital or analog, I would be inclined to describe it as coming closer to the intended (or unintended) performance of the recording engineer.

Committed to keeping the Extreme as current as possible, we are introducing a second product called the Olympus I/O. This is an external upgrade to the Extreme containing a significant part of the Olympus technology, allowing it to come near, though not entirely at, Olympus performance levels. The Olympus I/O can even be added to the Olympus itself to elevate its performance even further, though not as dramatic an uplift as adding it to the Extreme. Consider it the proverbial "cherry on top".

 

I do understand your query. In the section MUSIC I think he attempts to highlight the prowess the Olympus exhibits. Audio adjectives can be very much like explaining wine characteristics. Allusive at best. Emotionally captivating is often not easy to explain in verbiage, whether it's art, music, or anything that stirs the soul...

 

I do understand your query. In the section MUSIC I think he attempts to highlight the prowess the Olympus exhibits. Audio adjectives can be very much like explaining wine characteristics. Allusive at best. Emotionally captivating is often not easy to explain in verbiage, whether it's art, music, or anything that stirs the soul...

John. You're right that describing audio experiences is challenging. However, I feel reviews should go beyond technical specs that are already on the manufacturer's website. A good review should attempt to convey those listening impressions, even if it's difficult to put into words. A more balanced approach would combines technical assessment with authentic listening experiences that would provide value to the reader, rather than simply restating what's already available on the manufacturer's website.

 

...and stir the soul it does. A couple of articles came into my inbox recently from a local audio pal regarding Roy DuNann.

2002 Stereophile article, if interested:

The Search for Roy DuNann

I don't remember the year, but I remember the moment when I first became intensely curious about Roy DuNann. It must have been about 1975, right after I moved to Seattle. I bought a Sonny Rollins LP called Way Out West, took it home, cued it up on my Thorens turntable, dropped the tonearm, and...

www.stereophile.com

I did not know his work by name, but I did know some of the pieces he worked on, including Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West," as a reference.

I did a dive into DuNann's work on the Contemporary jazz label, with perhaps a dozen or more albums that are on Qobuz.

Holy Mackerel! The recordings are terrific, and you can skim around in the article about that, or for a Marianas-Trench-depth dive at:

8481 Melrose: The Contemporary Records Vinyl Encyclopedia

A deep-dive research site dedicated to cataloging the history of west coast jazz label Contemporary Records.

www.8481melrose.com

But wow, the sound from the Olympus on these sides is a knock-out. And not just a TKO, but a 10-count carry you off the canvas event.

Sweetie is away on science business, so it's me and the dog, and I must have gotten up three times to make sure no one was trying to break in the house. The drums and over-all sound is real, palpable, visceral.

I finally intellectualized that I could relax, because the dog upstairs would know if something evil was happening, and would sound the canine intruder alarm.

I imagine these recordings sound great on many systems, but man they really burst forth here with the Olympus. The sound is lively...and alive.

 

John. You're right that describing audio experiences is challenging. However, I feel reviews should go beyond technical specs that are already on the manufacturer's website. A good review should attempt to convey those listening impressions, even if it's difficult to put into words. A more balanced approach would combines technical assessment with authentic listening experiences that would provide value to the reader, rather than simply restating what's already available on the manufacturer's website.

Valid point...More explanation regarding musical involvement....

 

...and stir the soul it does. A couple of articles came into my inbox recently from a local audio pal regarding Roy DuNann.

2002 Stereophile article, if interested:

The Search for Roy DuNann

I don't remember the year, but I remember the moment when I first became intensely curious about Roy DuNann. It must have been about 1975, right after I moved to Seattle. I bought a Sonny Rollins LP called Way Out West, took it home, cued it up on my Thorens turntable, dropped the tonearm, and...

www.stereophile.com

I did not know his work by name, but I did know some of the pieces he worked on, including Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West," as a reference.

I did a dive into DuNann's work on the Contemporary jazz label, with perhaps a dozen or more albums that are on Qobuz.

Holy Mackerel! The recordings are terrific, and you can skim around in the article about that, or for a Marianas-Trench-depth dive at:

8481 Melrose: The Contemporary Records Vinyl Encyclopedia

A deep-dive research site dedicated to cataloging the history of west coast jazz label Contemporary Records.

www.8481melrose.com

But wow, the sound from the Olympus on these sides is a knock-out. And not just a TKO, but a 10-count carry you off the canvas event.

Sweetie is away on science business, so it's me and the dog, and I must have gotten up three times to make sure no one was trying to break in the house. The drums and over-all sound is real, palpable, visceral.

I finally intellectualized that I could relax, because the dog upstairs would know if something evil was happening, and would sound the canine intruder alarm.

I imagine these recordings sound great on many systems, but man they really burst forth here with the Olympus. The sound is lively...and alive.

Mark thank you for sharing this. Wow!! Lots to digest in 8481 Melrose, sill taking it in! Good Stuff...

 

...this won't be perfect, but will help get to some titles I liked. The list is from the Melrose site. If you search the titles on Qobuz, the result set will get you there, or close. I pulled a few things into a play list and shot pics for y'all. Maybe this will help too. A couple of the Previn sides were not my flavor, but overall, lots of good (to me) stuff that sounds great.

 

The Olympus review from Mono&Stereo seems overly impressed with the technical specs but doesn't really tell us how the music actually feels. I want to know how the Olympus compares emotionally, and organically to other music servers - does it actually make your favorite songs sound better or more moving?

Agreed, it is a difficult thing to do without shared reference, but I think it is important to capture subjective emotional impressions and share them the best you can (if you search for "Extended Listening Impressions" about 1/2 down this page, you'll see mine)

Reality Quest: Review of the Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server (Part 2 of 2)

Audio: Listen to this article. In Part 1 of this review, I covered what has changed in the Taiko ecosystem in the past four years, dug into the hardware design and more unique aspects of the new Taiko Audio Olympus Music Server, and shared some curious first impressions. In this Part 2, I dig int...

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